The Route Change and the Suspicious Follower
You are driving an armoured vehicle on a three-stop route. Halfway to the second stop, a grey hatchback begins following you. It stays two cars back through two turns, then closes up when you slow for a roundabout. You radio the control room, which confirms the second stop is a jewellery district drop with a high-value cassette. Your partner suggests skipping the stop and driving straight to the depot, but the control room has not authorised a change and the customer is expecting the delivery. The vehicle has a GPS tracker and a duress button. You have fifteen minutes of fuel margin and the depot is forty minutes away.
1. Work through the decision: what options do you have, and how do you choose between completing the stop, aborting, and diverting?
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The first step is to confirm the threat rather than react to a single observation. Perform a recognised surveillance-detection manoeuvre, such as a legal double turn or a brief stop at a safe place, and see whether the hatchback mirrors you. Report the registration, description, and behaviour to the control room in real time and ask for a decision. Meanwhile, follow the rule that an unconfirmed but credible follow means you do not proceed to a high-value drop. The jewellery stop is the most attractive target on the route and should be deferred until the situation is resolved.
Options: continue to the stop and hope the follower breaks off (unacceptable with a high-value load and no confirmation); abort and return to the depot (safe but leaves the customer and control room uninformed); or divert to a pre-agreed safe location, such as a police station or a partner branch, while the control room decides. The best choice is the third, combined with a clear request for authorisation to abort the stop. You do not unilaterally abandon the route, but you do not drive into a risk you cannot control. Fuel margin is adequate for a diversion, so it is not a decisive constraint. Record the timeline and the control room's instructions.
2. The control room authorises you to divert to a police station five minutes away. Describe how you execute the diversion as a crew, including communication and positioning.
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The driver announces the decision clearly: destination, route, and expected time. The second guard becomes the observer: he watches the hatchback continuously, reports its position and any change, and keeps the duress button ready but does not press it unless the situation becomes an attack. The driver takes a route that avoids dead ends, roadworks, and quiet streets, and does not signal the destination in advance. Maintain normal road behaviour; do not run red lights or speed, which would create a new hazard and attract attention.
On arrival, drive into the station forecourt, park where the vehicle is visible from the entrance, and do not leave the vehicle until police make contact. Tell the desk officer concisely: CIT crew, followed by a grey hatchback, registration if known, high-value load on board, requesting assistance. Keep the doors locked and the engine running until police indicate it is safe. Afterwards, complete a joint incident report, notify the customer of the delayed delivery through the control room, and arrange an escort or a new route for the remaining stops. Debrief the crew before the next shift.